Former Gastonia councilman accused of assaulting teen, mother

By Kevin Ellis

Published: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 11:05 AM.

Lee said she and her sons were embarrassed over the incident and decided not to get dessert as planned so that they could leave. But Lee said she stopped at the Watson table on the way out. “I said, ‘Sir, I would appreciate it if you would have addressed me. I am his mother,’” Lee said she told Watson.

“He put a finger in my face and told me to get the (expletive) out of there,” she said. She says he then drew back his hand like he was going to hit her. “I looked at him and told him, ‘You’re messing with the wrong woman. You touch me and you’re going to regret it.’”

She said her son then came over and told Watson not to talk to his mother in that way. She and her son then told a magistrate that Watson pushed her out of the way and then used a closed fist to punch her son in the neck. The punch left a mark on her son’s neck and chin, the mother said.

Watson then left the restaurant telling the wait staff he would come back to pay. Lee followed him, took down a description of his car and license plate and called Gastonia police. Lee said she did not know Watson, but would later learn he had been on City Council. She said police told her to go to the magistrate’s office and press charges if she wanted to. The warrant affidavit notes a Gastonia police officer responded.

Watson served one term on Gastonia City Council from 2003 to 2005. His fellow elected officials asked Watson to resign when he was accused of assaulting his wife and threatening former assistant district attorney Craig Collins, who’s now in private practice. Watson declined to resign, and instead he and his wife underwent counseling. Watson also was involved in anger management counseling over the incident, according to court reports. Watson would run for re-election the next year, losing his Ward 5 seat to John Howren by close to a 2-to-1 margin.

Watson described Tuesday night’s incident as a “big misunderstanding,” adding he did not want to discuss it further. “There’s nothing I can say to make it right,” Watson said.

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or at twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin.

Former Gastonia City Councilman Randy Watson faces charges that he assaulted a high schooler and his mother Tuesday night after a dispute at Tequila’s Mexican Grill downtown. Watson, whose one term on City Council was marked with him pleading guilty to assaulting his wife in 2004, admits to hitting the 15-year-old high school sophomore.

At one point, Watson said the teenager “got what he deserved,” but then later admitted he was in the wrong. “Nobody deserves to be hit, but I don’t deserve to be cussed at and have someone get in my face,” Watson said Wednesday.

But the teenager’s mother, Funda Lee, says her son only stepped in when it appeared Watson was going to strike her. Watson faces charges of assault on a female in relation to her and a charge of assault and battery related to her son. Watson, 62, of 839 W. Garrison Blvd., was released from custody on an unsecured bond.

“It’s absurd,” Lee said Wednesday. “And the thing is he was going to hit me, a woman.” The incident occurred around 6 p.m. Watson said he had gone to dinner with his wife, and Lee said she was there with her older son and his 13-year-old brother.

Lee said her 15-year-old son was telling her a story about something that had happened, and how someone else had used the “F word,” although he did not abbreviate when rehashing the incident. “He wasn’t cursing. He was telling me what someone had said,” Lee said. Watson, 62, and his wife were sitting at an adjacent table.

Watson says the teenager was using more profane language and that he went over to the table and asked him to stop because it offended him and his wife. “I just asked him very nice, ‘Son, would you please stop using those words,’” Watson said.

Lee says Watson came over to their table, got in her son’s face and used the same “F word” several times in a loud voice, and told her son to stop using the word. Both sides agreed in separate interviews that that ended the initial confrontation.

Lee said she and her sons were embarrassed over the incident and decided not to get dessert as planned so that they could leave. But Lee said she stopped at the Watson table on the way out. “I said, ‘Sir, I would appreciate it if you would have addressed me. I am his mother,’” Lee said she told Watson.

“He put a finger in my face and told me to get the (expletive) out of there,” she said. She says he then drew back his hand like he was going to hit her. “I looked at him and told him, ‘You’re messing with the wrong woman. You touch me and you’re going to regret it.’”

She said her son then came over and told Watson not to talk to his mother in that way. She and her son then told a magistrate that Watson pushed her out of the way and then used a closed fist to punch her son in the neck. The punch left a mark on her son’s neck and chin, the mother said.

Watson then left the restaurant telling the wait staff he would come back to pay. Lee followed him, took down a description of his car and license plate and called Gastonia police. Lee said she did not know Watson, but would later learn he had been on City Council. She said police told her to go to the magistrate’s office and press charges if she wanted to. The warrant affidavit notes a Gastonia police officer responded.

Watson served one term on Gastonia City Council from 2003 to 2005. His fellow elected officials asked Watson to resign when he was accused of assaulting his wife and threatening former assistant district attorney Craig Collins, who’s now in private practice. Watson declined to resign, and instead he and his wife underwent counseling. Watson also was involved in anger management counseling over the incident, according to court reports. Watson would run for re-election the next year, losing his Ward 5 seat to John Howren by close to a 2-to-1 margin.

Watson described Tuesday night’s incident as a “big misunderstanding,” adding he did not want to discuss it further. “There’s nothing I can say to make it right,” Watson said.

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-869-1823 or at twitter.com/TheGazetteKevin.